Double acting drum pedal

ABSTRACT

A DOUBLE ACTING BASS DRUM PEDAL HAS A BEATER MOUNTED ON A HORIZONTAL SHAFT WITH THERE BEIUNG AN ARM ALSO MOUNTED ON SAID SHAFT BUT OFFSET FROM THE ROTARY AXIS THEREOF AND DIRECTED DOWNWARLY TOWARD AN END OF A ROCKABLY MOUNTED PEDAL. A FLEXIBLE STRIP CONNECTS THE ARM TO THE END OF THE PEDAL SO THAT ROCKING OF THE PEDAL IN EITHER DIRECTION WILL ROTATE THE SHAFT IN ONE DIRECTION TO BRING THE BEATER INTO THE DRUM BEATING POSITION.

Nov. 9, 1971 J. A. FE'ARNS DOUBLE ACTING DRUM PEDAL Filed Oct. 21 1969mvmmn JOHN A. FEARNS United States Patent thee 3,618,441 DOUBLE ACTINGDRUM PEDAL John A. Fearns, 42 Hickory St., Norwich, Conn.

Filed Oct. 21, 1969, Ser. No. 868,121 1 Int. Cl. G10d 13/00 US. Cl.84-422 Claims ABSTRACT OF DISCLOSURE The present invention relates to abass drum beating mechanism, more particularly, to a double actingmechanism wherein alternate rocking of a pedal moves a heater into drumbeating position.

It has been known for drummers to operate two bass drums, one with eachfoot, for producing rhythms which are not possible when playing one drumwith one foot. 'Since many times it is not feasible to employ two bassdrums various mechanisms have been devised which would enable theeffects of the two bass drum set-up to be obtained on a single bassdrum. In such a mechanism the drummer generally uses one foot to rock apedal which is mechanically connected to a drum beating mechanism. Whilethe concept of achieving the effect of a two bass drum set-up withasingle drum and using a beating mechanism actuated by one foot isknown, these proposed drum beating mechanisms have been rathercumbersome in structure and impractical in operation. Such proposedmechanisms had the further disadvantage that the response and feel ofthe mechanism was substantially altered or modified in transmitting themovement from the foot pedal to the drum beater.

It is therefore the principal object of the present invention to providea novel and improved double acting bass drum pedal mechanism.

It is another object of the present invention to provide adouble actingbass drum pedal apparatus wherein rocking movement of a foot pedal istransmitted into movement of a single beater into the drum beatingposition.

In one aspect of the present invention a double acting bass drum pedalapparatus may comprise a. horizontal shaft rotatably mounted on asupport stand with a beater being mounted on said shaft. The beater ismoveable from an inoperative position into a drum-beating position uponrotation of the shaft in one direction. Resilient means are connected tothe shaft to urge the shaft and the beater into the b'eater inoperativeposition. A rockable pedal is mounted on the stand and has one enddirected toward theshaft. Connecting the shaft and the end of the pedalare-means for rotating the shaft in the one direction upon rocking ofthe pedal in either direction so that the beater is moved into thedrum-beating position upon a rocking movement of the pedal. The shaftrotating means may comprise an arm mounted in an ofi-center position onthe shaft and -extending'toward the one end of the foot pedal. Aflexible strip connects the arm and the end of 3,618,441 Patented Nov.9, 1971 FIG. 1 is a side elevational view of the double acting drumpedal appar-atus of the present invention with a portion of the supportstand cut away to show the arm and flexible strip and the lower portionof the drum cut away to show the clamping structure onto the drum. rim;

FIG. 2 is a top plan view of the apparatus of FIG. 1 with the centerportion of the pedal being cut away;

FIG. 3 is an end elevational view of the drum beater support stand ofFIG. 1; and FIG. 4 is a side elevational view in enlarged scale of thearm which is mounted on the drum beater shaft.

Proceeding next to the drawings wherein like reference symbols indicatethe same parts throughout the various views a specific embodiment of thepresent invention will be described in detail.

In FIG. 1 there is indicated generally at 10 a bass drum in the positionin which it is conventionally used by a trap drummer and a pedalmechanism according to the present invention is indicated generally at11.

The pedal mechanism comprises a support stand 12 having a pair ofupright vertical supporting members 13 and 14 on the upper ends of whichare mounted ball bearing or friction-reducing bearing boxes 15 and 16 inwhich are journalled the ends of a shaft 17 for rotatable movement.

A beater arm 18 having a beater 19 at one end thereof has its other endinserted in an opening of a hub clamp 20 which is secured onto the shaft17 by means of a set screw 21. The beater arm 18 may be adjusted Withinthe hub 20.

Similarly mounted on shaft 17 and adjacent the hub 20 is an arm 22 shownin greater detail in FIG. 4 and having a hub 23 which is secured to theshaft 14 by means of a set screw 24. The arm 22 is positioned off-centerfrom the shaft as may be seen in FIG. 4 and the outer surface of the arm22 indicated at 25 is provided with a slight convex curvature.

Spacer sleeves 26 and 27 are provided respectively between bearing 15and arm 22 and bearing 16 and heater hub 20.

The shaft 17 has its ends projecting outwardly of the uprights 13 and 14and arms 28 and 29 are non-rotatably secured on the shaft ends. Springs30 and 31 connect the arms 28 and 29 to spring adjuster screws 32 and 33which are threaded in lugs 34 and 35 extending laterally outwardly fromthe uprights 13 and 14. The springs 30 and 31 resiliently maintain thebeater 19 in its inoperative position as shown in FIG. 1.

Spaced away from the stand 12 is a pedal stand 40 having a pair ofspaced vertical uprights 41 between the upper ends of which is pivotallymounted a foot pedal 42 which is normally displaced about 5 forconvenience as may be seen in FIG. 1. One end of the foot pedalindicated at 43 is connected by a flexible leather strip 44 to the arm22. One end of the strip 44 is secured to the underside of the pedal end43 by means of a rivet, screw or the like and the strip then passesaround the curved face 25 of the arm to have itsupper end secured ontothe arm hub by means of a rivet, pin or other suitable fastening memberas indicated at 45. v

A'connecting rod 46 which has both ends threaded interconnects the pedalstand 40 with the beater stand 12 and provides for adjustment of thedistance between these two stands.

In order to anchor the apparatus during operation the stand 20 isclamped to the inner rim of the drum 10 by means of a clamping member 47and an adjusting screw 48. When the inner edge of the drum rim isprovided with an annular rib the clamping member 47 may have a groove 49which is positioned over this rib.

In use, the pedal 42 is depressed by the foot of th drummer so that thefront end 43 moves downwardly as viewed in FIG. 1. This downwardmovement of the front end will pull leather strip 44to pivot the arm 22thereby rotating shaft 17 clockwise as viewed in FIG. 1. This rotationof the shaft will move the beater 19 to hit the drum in the drum beatingposition.

As the drummers foot is rocked in the other direction so that the frontend 43 of the pedal moves upwardly as viewed in FIG. 1, the springs 30and 31 will return the shaft 17 and the beater 19 to its inoperativeposition as shown in FIG. 1. When the drummers foot is rocked to causethe pedal front end to move upwardly above its normal position as shownin FIG. 1 the strip 44 is again pulled and will rotate the arm 22, shaft17 and beater 19 as previously described to cause the beater to hit thedrum. Thus, rocking of the foot pedal 42 in either direction will rotatethe shaft 17 in the same direction and will bring about a beat on thedrum.

With the double acting drum pedal mechanism as described above it isreadily apparent that the effect of a two bass drum set-up can easily beobtained without the necessity of the drummer alternating his footmovements between two drums and high hat. Further, the requirement of asecond bass drum is eliminated. Not only is the present double actingdrum pedal mechanism simpler in construction but it enables the drummerto retain his feel of the drum.

able from an inoperative position into a drum beating position uponrotation of said shaft in'one direction,

resilient means for urging said shaft and beater into the beaterinoperative position, a rockable pedal on said stand, and meansconnecting said shaft and said pedal for rotating said shaft in said onedirection upon rocking of said pedal in either direction so that saidbeater. is moved into the drum beating position upon. a rocking movementof the pedal, said shaft rotating means comprising an arm mounted onsaid shaft and a flexible strip connecting said arm to an end of thepedal.

2. A double acting bass drum pedal apparatus as claimed in claim 1wherein said pedal has one end directed toward said shaft, said armextending downwardly toward is attached to said arm at a point adjacentsaid shaft and It will be understood that this invention is susceptiblepasses over the curved surface of said arm to said'pe'dal end.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,508,390 9/1924 Gladstone et al.84-422 2,484,302 10/ 1949 Laverents 84-422 2,484,936 10/ 1949 Dezso84--422 RICHARD B. WILKINSON, Primary Examiner J. F. GONZALES, AssistantExaminer

